More Geek

If you are looking to quiet down your system there are a lot of options
available. Though it is not easy to move over to a fanless CPU cooler, as a
processor produces most of the system’s heat, this is the most effective way to
lessen PC noise. In most systems the CPU cooling solution produces more noise
than the other components so if this could be fanless then you are well on your
way to a silent system.

This review will be looking at Thermaltake’s popular Fanless103 CPU cooler.
We recently reviewed Thermaltake’s Fanless Power Supply Unit and were pretty
happy with that product so we have high expectations for this cooler. The
prospect of a fanless CPU cooler and a quiet, or even silent, system is very
exciting, but not if there is a large performance loss or unacceptable running
temperatures.

Here it is, Thermaltake’s Fanless 103 CPU Cooler. This is a very
interesting product that is composed off nothing more than two sets of aluminum
fins, a two-part copper base, and six copper heat pipes. The fins are press-fit
onto the heatpipes so they should not move under normal use. The
base features a sandwich-style but there is not air left in the stack
so it should provide for efficient heat transfer.

The aluminum cooling fins on the 103 take two forms. The ones on
the left are larger and attached to the heatpipes on the bottom half of the
base. The other structure is “+” shaped and attached to the three heat pipes
which are above the other three. This height discrepancy should have no effect
on performance.

It is hard to say exactly why Thermaltake’s designers opted to
have the fins look the way they do, instead of being symmetrical, like in their
Sonic Tower fanless CPU cooler. It can be assumed that this was done to optimize
the case’s air flow and minimize weight. The cooler weighs in at 752g and its
dimensions are 105 x 95 x 138mm.

Here you can clearly see the two part style of the base. The heat
pipes are produced seperately from the rest of the cooler so they have to be
pressed between the base and then have the aluminum fins stacked on
them. Finally, they are locked into place. If you look at the bottom
right of the fins you can see that during shipping some of them were knocked
around a bit. The fins and heat pipes were not damaged or bent but the fins were
not even when we received them. You can push them back in place but this is
easier said than done as they are tough to push and you have to be careful not
to push the others out of place.

The fact that a few fins are not perfectly aligned is
slightly problematic, as it will hinder cooling effiency, but since only two are
not perfect the effect should be minimal. With some time this problem can be
fixed and the fins should stay in place after that.

The cooler’s base did not arrive with any sort of protective
sticker on it but it was in good shape. The polishing job that Thermaltake did
was pretty solid, but nothing amazing. The base does not need lapping but
considering the price of this cooler and the amount of competition in the CPU
cooler market, it would have been nice to see a better finish. The base is very
even and does not have any scratches or imperfections.

The Fanless103 can cool either socket 478 or K8 platforms. Above
you can see the cooler, a silver retention device, and a black bracket. The
bracket is only used for K8 platforms and can be screwed to the motherboard with
the included hardware. For 478 installation the 103 uses the stock Intel
mounting bracket.

Regardless of which mounting bracket you use (Intel’s or the
included K8 one) the cooler is put into place and then the metal retention
device is pressed in. The piece does a good job of holding the cooler firmly in
place, despite its size and weight. To be safe you should probably remove the
cooler if you are going to transport your system.

Our installation went very smoothly and the cooler fit snugly
in the K8 bracket. Installation was not as simple as the 478 one, which
required no work at all, but it was still pretty easy to deal with. The cooler
is large but since there is not much at the base there were no
clearance issues. The height should not be a problem in any
standard ATX case.

Using the aforementioned test system the Thermaltake
Fanless103 was tested after the thermal compound (Artic Silver 5) was given the
necessary time to set. Load was measured after thirty minutes at 100%
capacity.

We tested the Fanless103 against the stock Athlon64 HSF. This test
was conducted with a 80mm exhaust fan installed in the case. Any cooler will
work more effectively with an exhaust fan behind it helping to remove some of
the case’s hot air. At idle our AMD cooler ran at about 34 degrees C and the
load temperature was 53 degrees. These temperature are pretty OK for stock. With
the Fanless103 our CPU was measure at 48 degrees and about 57 degrees at
load. These are pretty high but not terrible considering that the cooler uses no
fans.

This measured performance was pretty much what we expected from
the cooler. Yes, it ran hot but it was within reasonable limits. The fact of the
matter is that if you are running a fanless CPU cooler you will probably not be
putting the computer under a 100% load for extended periods of time and you
definitely will not be overclocking.

The next test was done with no case fans at all. This did not seem
like too good an idea as even a fanless CPU cooler needs some air flow to
operate, but the lure of a completely fanless system was too strong. At idle
operation, with no case air flow, we measured the CPU temperature at nearly
60 degrees. After this we did not bother to test load- we needed this CPU for
future use! This goes to show you that though the CPU cooler is heavy and
well-designed it does need some air flow to operate.

Conclusion

Thermaltake has done a good job of producing an affordable and
effective fanless CPU cooler. Fanlessness is a dream that is disappearing with
the arrival of faster, more power processors but with some smart design and the
help of a few heat pipes consumers are safe to remove another fan from their
system.

The real moral of this story, though, is that you do need airflow
in your system. Even if you have a huge fanless CPU cooler, you still need an
exhaust fan, and if possible, an intake fan as well. Even if these are operating
at a low RPM (a 120mm can at 7v, for example) you simply need the air flow if
you want to run a 478, 754, 939, or 940 processor and not have to worry about it
igniting.